It is in this context as well that we hear in the Middle Persian text of “aiding the demons,” (dēw-ayārīh) and “devil worshipping” (dēw-yasnīh). In offsetting these acts of the demons, the Zoroastrian priests appear to have had an important part as well. They were the religious and moral guardians of their community, especially after the fall of the Sasanian empire in the seventh century, when the Zoroastrian state was not in existence.

From reading the inscriptions on the seals or on the bowls it becomes clear that the line of religious affiliation became blurred when it came to magic and popular religion. For example a Zoroastrian might want a priest (maybe a sorcerer!) to prepare for him/her magic formulas to ward off demons and evil spirits. The use of magic then could have come from Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean or the Near Eastern tradition, and the native Persian tradition. Zoroastrianism has no shortage of evil creatures which appear as various manifestations of social and moral taboos in Middle Persian texts."